seaforest

Good afternoon. Just updating...made it to the gym before lunch and when I went home for lunch, I did 20 minutes of yoga - sun salutations to be exact. I missed a couple of B-sides...I was thinking about places I miss...well PA where I came from is one but I think it's actually a place in time that I miss more...and then, when I think about it, not sure that's what I miss either. But PA for sure because that's where my oldest friends are and still some family. I can't say that I have any favorite bath products or any particular routine....but I did feel very pampered after my bath last night so maybe I can re-establish that on a weekly basis.

Hello,

So the book I've started is Neither Wolf nor Dog. I went for a walk with a friend on Saturday evening and I definitely got my 40 minutes of cardio between that and the gym. Yesterday, I did a teeny bit of stretching but not enough. Hopefully today, I'll get some yoga in and then I can call yesterday my rest day. I took a bath with a bath bomb...I haven't taken a bath in years...so nice to do that again. So nice to have shrunk back to where such an activity is enjoyable again! We'll call that a victory! Well, I'm on social media so there goes that challenge for the day! LOL. But I'll try to keep it to a minimum. Happy Monday!

I'm in!

Personal goal is to lose enough this month to set myself up for breaking into onederland in September. (Of course, I'd love to pull that off this month but I want to be realistic.)

Gastric sleeve, losing, 7.5 months post op. Current weight 212 and BMI is 39.

Fun fact: I used to ride in horse shows.

Yesterday, I woke up 40 minutes early and I did complete 30 minutes of cardio. Today, I woke a bit early and went to the gym a tad early so I got the 20 minutes of strength training in on top of my daily cardio. So, yes, I'm onto the challenges. I just finished a book last night so I'll have to think about what I want to read next that might also inspire me.

B-side - I would say these days that I am a morning lark.

Hi, So sorry I haven't been checking in as much. It's been a crazy busy month but all in a good way. So, I've been terrible about the arms, I gave up somewhere along the way. I've started going home at lunch for the puppy and that was my hour to check in and catch up with daily activities like arm exercises. But, I have to say, I've been good about getting to the gym and I've made decent progress for the month. Nearly 8 lbs as of today which is a shade better than the past two months. I'm excited and I can see Onederland ahead! Tomorrow I go for my belated six month follow up. Today, I did a nuclear stress test and they were impressed at my improvement from the one three years ago.

All in all, I think a good month. I have enjoyed everyone's posts and pictures as they arrived in my email. And, yes! I will post puppy pictures soon! I'm looking forward to a more relaxing and quiet weekend this week. If I don't stop back here, I'll see everyone in August!

Hi all, I am such a slacker with my posts this month! I can't say I've done any exercise other than the gym for my arms this week...except I tried my first session of PIYO the other morning. So some updog/cobra action, arm circles, and plank happened with that and that was during the lower body session! LOL. I'll be heading out to the gym shortly and thinking I'll do some lawn mowing later. My reward for that will be going for a swim after. Anyway, I adopted a puppy last week. She is very cute and I find that as I adjust to her presence and her needs, I'm on the computer much less than usual. I even get up earlier to go to the gym and then come home and make sure she goes out before I head to work. Then it's a mad dash home at lunch time so she can go out.

Stay cool peeps!

Saturday morning. I'm finding that I'm doing my arm exercises in batches...i.e., doing them all at once to catch up. I am grateful that I went straight back to the gym after vacation and have re-established my routine. Today, I'm adopting a new puppy and I'm wondering how she will affect my routine. I'm so excited!

Thinking of you GT and your upcoming 7/15 day. Will be sending you positive vibes in support!

Well, off the gym!

Gotta say that I'm feeling a 10 in me. Happy with the scale and getting a new puppy today.

Hi folks, I'm still trying to catch up with myself after my wonderful vacation. I didn't do any arm exercises until the last day and then I did them all at once - that would be the sleek arms batch. I have to catch up with this week. I just did some of the toned arms bunch today. I lack equipment for some of the exercises so I haven't done everything.

Today was my first day back at the gym and I did do lots of arm work there. I usually do my arms about four times a week.

It was a fabulous vacation and I got to ride horseback every day for at least two hours. That made me so happy to be able to do that.

B-side questions: I think, dysmorphic most of the time. On the day to day, I didn't really think about my size. My view got realistic whenever I had to see people I hadn't seen in a long time or was meeting people for the first time. I love a lot of beaches - I think my current favorite is my local beach and we call it Chappy. It's beautiful year round. One year from now, I see myself pretty much where I am now although my private practice will be up, running, and thriving in addition to my regular work. Shoes - I'm not sure how many I have but not as many as I used to. I wear a lot of Toms in the Summer and I have at least four pairs of them. In the colder months, I typically alternate between two pairs of all-weather moccasins (one black and one navy). I also have a few other shoes that I wear less often.

Ok, I'm in! Looking forward to it! I printed out the arm exercises as I will be off grid for the next week. I'm not going to commit to the photo challenge.

Current weight is 220. My goal is to see the number continue to go down and boy, I hope it speeds up a bit! I will do my best to make that happen.

So off to drop the dogs off at their resort and then to the gym. Then I'll come home, pack, and head out.

If I find myself with cell service, I may check in but otherwise, I'll catch up when I get home. Happy Holiday week folks!

Hah, I'm undefineable! But, I'll admit that my past has shaped me and I think mostly for the good. So, I'm reviewing the past month as I will be travelling tomorrow. Weight loss was a tad slower this month than the previous. I also noticed that my energy and drive seemed to be lower as well. But then again, I did things like try to eat a cupcake. I liked the idea of one much better than actually eating one...didn't finish it. At any rate, I love that I'm still losing and that I'm still sticking to the program. See y'all next month!

Oh, I fell off the challenge wagon! Day 21 through 29, I pretty much try to tell myself or do every day so I'm not feeling like I missed or am missing those bits. Life does get challenging though.

First family visit of the Summer went well. I've kept up with work and with the gym. I got to hang out with a friend at a concert last Saturday and it was a really wonderful time. Getting ready to go on vacation for a week so that's occupying my brain..what to pack, etc.

Not sure what else to say but I wanted to check in.

Yes, I'm unique and yes, I'm my chief source of my motivation. There I said it. LOL. Oh boy, do I have the crankies though. I didn't go to the gym yesterday. I'm going now. Hopefully that'll help.

B-side - I think it might be harder for me to see because it's normal for me. Oh, I know. I get up in the morning and have to have my shower before I leave the house. Then...I go to the gym and get all sweaty and continue about my day. I don't want to go through the rigamarole of showering, dressing, and make-up at the gym. I'd rather do it at home.

20. Decluttering the physical. Oh what fun! So, I've been chipping away at that for the sake of my head space. Anyway, this past week, I took out two of my area rugs and am enjoying the bare floors right now. Also, I moved my house plants outside onto the deck for the Summer and that also adds to the simpler look of my living room. I was thinking about what else I could do and I have a few things sitting on my kitchen island that need to be glued back to being one piece and then I will have a clearer island. So that's good. I really want to work on my "office/studio" room so I can feel good about being in there. Maybe I can get started this evening after I glue things.

I wanted to sleep in this morning but I rolled out of bed and to the gym before work so I'm glad of that. I did some crunches and other ab work in addition to the cardio. Tomorrow will be hips, inner thigh, and glutes.

One of my favorite things as far as the NSV! I was so happy in March when I didn't have to ask for a seat belt extension! I'm flying in about 10 days so can't wait to re-experience that and have even more room in the regular belt than I did before.

19. Forgive someone? Hmmm, I forgave someone for not keeping their appointment today without notifying me.

Had a good night's sleep last night and a nice workout at the gym. I go to Planet Fitness...don't love the colors or the noise, but I love that the membership is so reasonable, that I can go pretty much anywhere I am, and it has such a variety of equipment and I can do my own thing. What I wish for is an olympic pool to swim in but until one comes to our town, this is my mainstay of my exercise routine.

Well, let's see. For 17 - I've been trying to live my life in such a way as to make #10 be true since whenever I had the aha moments about what I want to be remembered by which came before we did #10. For today and de-cluttering the non-physical...that would be where meditation and mindfulness come in for me and letting go of whatever I have no control over so it doesn't take up too much head space. I've definitely fizzled out on the physical challenge for the month but not on going to the gym regularly (at least 6 days a week).

From what I understand, 3-6 months out from surgery is when we can expect Hair loss. It has something to do with major surgery and rapid weight loss. I don't know when exactly it is supposed to start growing again though but it should.

Oh, I didn't quit. I hit my six month mark and my mother arrived for a visit. Now she's with my brother until she comes back next weekend so refocusing now. I hope I did 3 compliments without being conscious of it. Um, for exploration, we went to the local shopping center/village and poked around. I think my exploration was actually choosing things to try on and going into the dressing room with them and trying them on. They all fit! I came home with two...but part of me got very emotional about it. Regarding playlists...I don't have any...except that most of my music is on my ipod and I trust it to play what I need or I can choose whatever I might want to hear. Today...treating myself...just a nice quiet Sunday really...heading to the gym, maybe get some more plants, probably watch a movie later...

Tah dah! 6 months today. No regrets and much joy in the improvements to my health and activity level. That's it for the minute.

Whoops - missed posting yesterday. There was no crying. I cry when I feel like it and not otherwise. Also, burpees were a no go. Some of the exercises are beyond me so I'm giving myself a pass...and that includes today as well. (Although you never know, I might try later on.) I'm happy to smile as much as I can today and my mother's on her way for a visit so, hopefully, the smiling comes easily and naturally. I'm with GT - I always wanted my wrinkles to be due to smiles. Right now, my favorite clothes are the ones that I have shrunk into although I'm sad at letting some of the other pieces go. Today, I think it's the black pants that I'm wearing. They fit well and are comfortable and show off my trim legs.

10. Ok, 25 jumping jacks completed but not particularly gracefully. What do I most want to be remembered by? Being a good person who enjoyed life and helped others with a good dose of laughter.

9. Happy sunny day! Um, right now my pain is in my butt muscles. (Laughing at myself just now as I discovered the reading glasses I was looking for tucked in my t-shirt.) I don't seem be able to identify any other pain right now except for the anxiety regarding my mother's impending visit and my housekeeping skills. Sigh. I have to finish mowing the lawn, do some more cleaning, and somewhere in there, I'll do the lunges. Right now though, outside beckons.

Catching up:

7. Did mountain climbers and one of the things I learned this week is that I LOVE Paris tea!

8. Did high steps and little things that get me excited is seeing my dogs happy, listening to my cats purr, a freshly clean house, my lawn mowed and plants planted, and a zillion things!

Nearly forgot the B-side: I want to go back to Peru to go to Cusco and Machu Pichu. I want to go back to England and Scotland to visit old haunts and find new ones. I'd like to go to Paris and Italy. In winter, I long for warm seas and sunny beaches.

6. Seems I can't do situps but I did 25 crunches. Things that deplete my energy are...hmmm...negativity in my personal life is top of the list. BSide Time Machine question....there are so many places where I wonder what would have happened if this or that but would I be the me I am now if things had been different? I wish someone had said to me that I was fine as I was, that I didn't have to lose weight, back in my teen years. Also, dating and boyfriends aren't as important as loving yourself. That would've been nice.

Day 5. I just completed the limb raises. Worries? Finances, weight loss, impending arrivals of family members.